Voting machine



Feb. 27, 1934.

A. N. GUSTAVSON VOTING MACHINE Filed April 23, 19:51

A w Mi I ALVIN N. GUfiTAVSOM Patented Feb. 27, 1934 a I UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE VOTING MACHINE Alvin N. Gustavson, Jamestown, N.- Y.,assig'nor to Automatic Voting Machine Corporation, a corporation ofDelaware Application April 23, 1931. Serial No. 532,153 3 Claims. (Cl.235-54) This invention relates to an improvement in Which there are noCa d da e thus Preventing voting machines of the type in whi h votes a ethe registering of Votes on the unused counters. cast by themanipulation of indicat rs and in Other and further objects of theinvention will means for preventing registering of certain prebe e Cearly understood from a consideration I determined counters which arenot being used f h following Spe fication Which is taken in go duringthe election. connection with the accompanying drawing, and

The preferred embodiment of the invention n W ch discloses a mechanismmounted in a voting ma- 1 i a front vati of pa of a voting chine for thepurpose of looking out unused votmachine, Showing e P y Voting lever andhe 10 ing indicators at general elections where a individual Candidateindicators; 05 straight party voting is allowed. Fig. 2 is a rear viewof a portion of the ma- T produce ti hi hi would chine showing theconnection between the encomply with the voting laws of any and alltrance knob and the mechanism by W ch 1mcalities is quite impossibleinasmuch as these used interlocking Straps and indicators y be ll lawsare oftentimes at considerable variance. moved to non-registeringPosition; a d It has been found possible, however, to provide F 3represents an end View of the device mechanisms in the form ofaccessories which may Shown in Figure be installed in voting machines toalter them Referring to the drawinaandmore pa ti ularly so as to complywith the election laws in the to Figure v i s h n r lly indicated 20section or district in which they are to be used. by the referencenumeral 10, is shown- A p- For example, in certain districts, wherestraight eratihg lever 11 projects d w wa dly from the party voting isallowed, the election laws require top of the machine 1 the face of themachine all unused indicators or indicators which do not is the u akeyboard 12 Which, in the p e ent represent candidates to be concealedand locked w p v e a W of question indicators 13 25 out in such a manneras to prevent registering of d three o o Candidate i dicators 14. At

votes on the counters for said indicator the left of each row ofindicators, and connected The invention hereafter described provides ane e is 2 Party ieVer When the v ti g arrangement in a voting machine forpreventing ne h e n arranged for Streight p y those indicators in aparty row, which do not ng, the pa ty lever 15,000peretir1g W linsorepresent candidates, from registering on the diGatQrS in the P y y bemoved toward 35 counters of the machine, when a voter wishes t the rightcausing each of said indicators to turn t a traight party t The deviceis t downwardly into voting position. Although the .ed to eliminateerrors on the part of election ofli- QP between the P y evers l5 and the31's in reporting the number of vptes for alch candidate indicators 14is IlOt ShOWIl in the draw- :35 candidate at the close of an election.Since all ihg, i vm y b W to explain this feature in order of thcounters i hi are t t Zero prior to make the substance of the presentinvention to an election and votes are prevented from be,- e c mp h Eachparty lever s oping registered during an election onthose c m. erablyconnected with a horizontal bar which ters which do not representcandidates, it 1 be extends substantially the full width of the ma- .4oquite evident that the task of registering and Chine and lies behind thekeyboard directly be reporting only those numbers which appe on neaththe corresponding row of candidate indithe counters is relativelysimple. cators. This bar is provided with a plurality of The presentinvention has therefore been deprojections each of which is adapted t tt; .veloped f r the purpose of adapting a voting with suitable arms onthe candidate indicators 14.

45 chine to meet and comply with the election laws Thus, as the partylever is moved, t e bar moves 10 referred to above and this thereforeconstitutes Simulttmeousiy therewith and the p ojections on th principalbje t, the bar cause each of the indicators to move into Another objectof the invention is the provision Voting position. One pecific method ofconnectof a mechanism which must be manipulated prior ihg a party leverWith a r w of candidate indi- 5 to the manipulation of a lever whichregisters the Gators is Shown and Claimed in my (lo-pending 5 tapplication, Serial Number 532,154. Frequently, A further object of theinventi n 11 in th in localities where the party candidates are fewprovision of a mechanism which, after a party in number, all of theindicators of a party row are lever has been manipulated to move everyindicanot used. To avoid confusion of the votor, as

' 5 5 tor in the party row, will raise the indicators for well as tocomply with the local election laws, the

indicators, in that portion of the party row not in use, are covered bya suitable shield 16 which, while permitting movement when the partylever is manipulated, completely conceals them from view. These shieldedindicators must be returned to non-voting position prior to theregistration of the remaining indicators in that party row. The countersare manipulated by an operating lever after the indicators 14 have beenmoved to voting position. Those indicators which have been restored tonon-voting position prior to the movement of the operating lever willnot be registered on the corresponding counters.

Through a suitable mechanism, which forms no part of this invention,connection is had between the indicators and the interlocking straps 18.One strap 18 is provided for and connected with each pointer. Provisionis also made for locating the lower ends of each of the interlockingstraps 18 in a channular member 19. Suitable rollers are mounted in thischannel, one between adjacent straps and are for the purpose ofpreventing the manipulation of more than one pointer in a vertical row.

Each interlocking strap 18 is formed with a centrally located horizontallug 20. Mounted on the interlocking straps 18 is a clip 22. This clip isprovided in different lengths in order that it may be mounted on andadapted to operate in connection with any desired group or groups ofinterlocking straps. In the present showing, one clip is engaged with asingle group of interlocking straps whereas the next adjacent clip isengaged with the next several groups of interlocking straps. These clipsare flanged at their ends to engage the end interlocking straps, beingvertically supported upon rods 23 which are connected with a verticallyreciprocal plate 24. Support for the clips 22 is had through a number ofbell crank levers 25, one end of each of which is pivotally connectedwith the plate 24 through a pin 26. A central portion of each of thelevers 25 is mounted on pivot pins 27 which are located in fixed plates28. The plates 28 are mounted at convenient intervals throughout theentire length of the machine and are pressure held against the bottom ofthe channel 19 by screws. Directly beneath the plate 24 is a rod 29.This rod is pivotally connected with the lower end of each of the levers25 by pins 30. One extreme end of the rod 29 is pivotallly connectedwith the lower end of a bell crank lever 31 through a pin 32. The centerportion of the lever 31 is supported on a pivot 33 which is located on achannel plate 34. The other end of this lever is fitted with a pin 35which projects into a slot 36 formed in a vertically reciprocal member38. The plate 34, which supports the lever 31, is pressure held betweena horizontal flange 39 of the machine and the bottom of the channel 19,through screws 41. The member 38 is fitted with a bracket 42 which inturn connects with the control knob 43. The knob 43 is verticallymovable and transmits such motion to the member 38 which in turn,through the bell crank levers 25 and 31, causes vertical movement of thestraps.

It should be understood that no votes can be registered on a machine bythose indicators which are in the upward position when the operatinglever is moved. Since the party lever opposite each party row, whenoperated, moves all of the indicators in that row downwardly into votingposition, the present invention has been designed to return all thoseindicators which do not represent candidates to non-voting ornon-recording position. The device is arranged so that any group orseries of groups of candidate indicators, whether they are adjacent orwidely separated from each other, can be controlled by this mechanism.

As soon as the voter has moved one or all of the indicators in a partyrow into voting position, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure l, thelugs 20 on the interlocking straps 18 move upwardly and carry with themthe clips 22. The plate 24, being connected to the clip 22 through rods23, also moves upwardly. Bell cranks 25, which are engaged at one end toplate 24, rotate about the pivots 27 to the position shown by dottedlines in Figure 2 of the drawing. The rod 29, being connected to theother end of bell cranks 25, simultaneously moves to the new position.The bell crank 31, which is engaged with the end of rod 29, rotatesabout its pivot 33 causing the pin 35 to move downwardly in the slot 36.When the voter has completed the casting of his ballot, he indicatesthat fact to a custodian outside the machine who raises the control knob43. The member 38, which is attached to the knob 43 moves upwardly andthe pin 35 on the bell crank 31 engages the lower end of the slot 36 inthe rod 38 and causes all the bell cranks, through the rod 22, to moveto their original positions. The plate 24 moves downwardly causing theclips 22, through rods 23, to also move downwardly. Clips 22, in theirdownward travel, engage the lifted lugs 20 and return the straps 18 totheir original positions.

Although applicant has shown and described but one modification of hisinvention, he does not intend to be limited thereto since it is obviousto those skilled in the art that other modifications or adaptations maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionother than as set forth in the hereunto annexed claims.

aving thus set forth my invention what I claim as new and for which Idesire protection by Letters Patent is:

1. In a voting machine arranged for straight party voting whereininterlocking straps are moved from non-voting to voting position toregister a vote, a mechanism for returning certain interlocking strapsto non-registering position, comprising a clip mounted on and engagingany group or groups of said interlocking straps, lugs on said strapsengageable with said clip, a lever operable from the exterior of saidmachine, and means connecting said lever with said clip whereby movementof said lever reciprocates said clip to engage the lugs of and returnsaid interlocking straps to non-registering position.

2. In a voting machine, a mechanism for preventing registering ofcertain indicators which are moved during straight party voting,comprising a clip mounted on any group or groups of said interlockingstraps, a plate beneath said interlocking straps, rods connecting saidclip with said plate, a lever operable from the exterior of saidmachine, and means connecting said lever with said plate wherebymovement of said lever causes said clip to engage and return tononregistering position all of said certain straps which have been movedduring the casting of a straight party vote.

3. In a voting machine, a mechanism for preventing registering ofcertain indicators in straight party voting comprising a clip mounted onany group or groups of interlocking straps,

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ing connected with and adapted to reciprocate said bar in one directionwhereby said clip may be moved downwardly to engage and return saidcertain straps, moved during the casting of a party vote, tonon-registering position.

ALVIN N. GUSTAVSON.

